The Conversation

Monks, experts in social distancing, find strength in isolation

Written by Michael A. Vargas, Professor of History, State University of New York at New Paltz

Catholicism has a long tradition of seeing being alone as a source of healing, not isolation. Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images

Need a habit to get through trying times? Try solitude.

Ever since the rainy season retreats of the Buddha 2,500 years ago, sages have celebrated the transformative power of being alone. In Christian...

Why companies as diverse as eBay, IKEA and Mars are increasingly supporting US clean energy policies

Written by Zdravka Tzankova, Associate Professor of Sociology, Vanderbilt University

A worker checks the installation of a solar panel array atop an IKEA store in Miami.AP Photo/J Pat Carter

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

The big idea

My new analysis of companies that seek to buy renewable electricity finds that business is becoming a powerful new ally in the U.S. political battle to stop climate...

TikTok teens and the Trump campaign: How social media amplifies political activism and threatens election integrity

Written by Anjana Susarla, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University

President Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla. had thousands of empty seats, thanks at least in part to the actions of teenagers who mobilized on the social media platform TikTok.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

The lower-than-expected attendance at President Trump’s rally in Tulsa on June 20 was attributed, at least in part, to an online army of K-pop...

Muslim Americans assert solidarity with Black Lives Matter, finding unity within a diverse faith group

Written by Amir Hussain, Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University

Muslims demonstrate against police brutality and racial injustice in Brooklyn.John Lamparski/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The killing of George Floyd took place at the doorstep of Muslim America.

He was killed in front of Cup Foods, a store owned by an Arab American Muslim, whose teenage employee – also a Muslim – had earlier reported to...

Why are so many people lighting off fireworks?

Written by Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

Fireworks light up the sky over New York City in 2019.Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

The number of fireworks being lit off at night is out of control this year.

While people often light off fireworks close to the Fourth of July, this year fireworks have been lit in large numbers starting weeks earlier. New York City had a 4,000% increase in fireworks...

The US isn't in a second wave of coronavirus – the first wave never ended

Written by Melissa Hawkins, Professor of Public Health, Director of Public Health Scholars Program, American University

The U.S. as a whole is facing a huge surge in coronavirus cases, but the differences between states like New York and Florida are striking.Kena Betancur/1207979953 via Getty Images

After sustained declines in the number of COVID-19 cases over recent months, restrictions are starting to ease across the United States. Numbers of new cases are falling...

When France extorted Haiti – the greatest heist in history

Written by Marlene Daut, Professor of African Diaspora Studies, University of Virginia

Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer receiving Charles X's decree recognizing Haitian independence on July 11, 1825.Bibliotheque Nationale de France

In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, there have been calls for defunding police departments and demands for the removal of statues. The issue of reparations for slavery has also resurfaced.

Much...

Why soldiers can't claim conscientious objection if ordered to suppress protests

Written by Dwight Stirling, Lecturer in Law, University of Southern California

National Guard members and protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 20, 2020. Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump’s order that National Guard should “dominate” the streets of Washington, D.C., during recent protests troubled at least a few of the men and women compelled to do the dominating.

Most of the 84,000 Guard members...

As Arizona coronavirus cases surge from early reopening, Indigenous nations suffer not only more COVID-19 but also the blame

Written by Lisa Hardy, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Social Science Community Engagement Lab, Northern Arizona University

At the Navajo Nation town of Fort Defiance, Arizona, staff pack food boxes. The Navajo Nation now has the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S. Getty Images / Mark Ralston

In the days before Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey changed course by urging people to stay home, Scottsdale city councilman Guy Phillips donned a face covering and...

How small towns are responding to the global pandemic

Written by Leah Kemp, Director and Primary Researcher, Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center; Adjunct Professor of Architecture, Mississippi State University

Patrons eat outside at a small cafe in West Reading, Pennsylvania, as the community begins to reopen.Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Before the global pandemic hit, small towns across America were dealing with struggling economies, aging roads and bridges, and declining populations.

The coronavirus added new challenges,...